Medical Treatments

When one of Jose Nuñez's retinas was damaged by diabetes in 2016, the Los Angeles truck driver expected his Medicaid managed care policy to coordinate treatment. But Centene, the private insurer that manages his policy, gave him the runaround, he says, a

Private Medicaid Plans Receive Billions In Tax Dollars, With Little Oversight

5:25pm October 18, 2018

by Chad Terhune

More than two-thirds of Medicaid recipients are enrolled in privately run Medicaid managed care programs. Yet the evidence is thin these contractors improve patient care or save the government money.

Black men are twice as likely as whites to die from prostate cancer, one of the deadliest cancers that affect males.

Distrust Of Health Care System May Keep Black Men Away From Prostate Cancer Research

2:23pm October 17, 2018

by Rachel D. Cohen

Black men are hit hardest by prostate cancer, but they are underrepresented in research. Researchers held focus groups in three states to understand why.

After Paul Allen Co-Founded Microsoft, He Changed Brain Science Forever

7:03pm October 16, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

In 2003, Paul Allen created an institute to figure out how the human brain works. That institute has already made contributions that may turn out to be part of his greatest legacy.

President Donald Trump listened in January as Stephen Ubl, President and CEO of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, second from left, introduced himself during a meeting at the White House. The sky-high prices of some drugs are a big iss

Should TV Drug Ads Be Forced To Include A Price? Trump's Team Says Yes

9:47pm October 15, 2018

With high drug prices a hot election issue, drugmakers and the Trump administration are jockeying over how to bring prices down. But critics say the proposed fixes don't have enforcement teeth.

According to the law in most states, health care providers own patients' medical records. But federal privacy law governs how that information can be used. And whether or not you can profit from your own medical data is murky.

If Your Medical Information Becomes A Moneymaker, Could You Get A Cut?

6:49pm October 15, 2018

by Richard Harris

Sometimes discoveries derived from patients' medical data become the foundation of new profit-making companies. A fledgling industry wants to help patients get a cut of the cash.

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David Vetter plays in the enclosed plastic environment that he had to stay in to survive.

Health & Safety

Opinion: The Doctor And 'The Boy In The Bubble'

5:03pm October 13, 2018

by Scott Simon

In his essay this week, NPR's Scott Simon remembers William T. Shearer, who died this week at the age of 81. He was the doctor of "The Boy In The Bubble."

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A 291-day-old retina. Our ability to see colors develops in the womb. Now scientists have replicated that process, which could help accelerate efforts to cure colorblindness and lead to new treatments for diseases.

Human Retinas Grown In A Dish Reveal Origin Of Color Vision

5:28pm October 11, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

Our ability to see colors develops in the womb. Now scientists have replicated that process, which could help accelerate efforts to cure colorblindness and lead to new treatments for diseases.

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Randy and Karen O'Burke together at their son's home in Hendersonville, Tenn., last week. "Apparently, I'm pretty much of a miracle," Randy says.

How To Prevent Brain-Sapping Delirium In The ICU

9:21am October 11, 2018

by Richard Harris

People who suffer from prolonged delirium in the hospital are likely to develop long-term mental problems like dementia. Doctors have come up with techniques they say can reduce delirium in the ICU.

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Richard Langford, at home in East Nashville, Tenn., still has significant trouble with mental focus and memory issues 10 years after a sudden and serious infection landed him in the hospital ICU for several weeks.

When ICU Delirium Leads To Symptoms Of Dementia After Discharge

5:50pm October 10, 2018

by Richard Harris

Up to half of all patients who survive emergency medical treatment in the intensive care unit have mental problems when they return home. Doctors studying the problem say it starts with delirium.

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Ed Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania, has taken a strong stand on supervised injection sites.

Health & Safety

'Come And Arrest Me': Former Pa. Governor Defies Justice Department On Safe Injection

4:57pm October 10, 2018

by Bobby Allyn

A nonprofit in Philadelphia is making plans to open a supervised drug injection site — which is against the law. Their response to justice department threats of a crackdown? "Bring it on."

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